1.22 Devil's Trap

The scene opens up where Salvation left off. Dean is desperate to contact his father, but as he makes another call, Meg answers the phone, telling him he has screwed up and will never see his father again. Dean hangs up and tells Sam the bad news. Both boys are distraught. Dean begins to pack hastily, saying the demon knows where they are and that they have the Colt, so they have to leave. Sam wants to stay and try to kill it, but Dean says they are not ready, and not knowing how many there are, they are leaving - now!

As the Impala races through the night, Sam thinks they could have taken them, but Dean says they need a plan. The demons must be keeping their dad to get the Colt, but Sam is not convinced. He thinks Dad might be dead, and they should still try to kill the Demon and finish the job. Dean argues that Dad is alive, and screw the job. Everything else stops until they find Dad, so what do they do now? Reluctantly, Dean acknowledges they need help and hits the gas harder.

The boys arrive at the home of another hunter who is an old close family friend, Bobby Singer. Bobby gives Dean a flask of holy water, and one with whiskey with a shot of holy water to test for possession. Dean thanks their old friend for agreeing to help, even though Bobby threatened to shoot John full of buckshot. Bobby wryly points out John has that effect on people. Sam is impressed with one of Bobby's books on demon lore, called the Key of Solomon. It tells how to catch a demon and hold it powerless inside a protective circle. Bobby also tells the Winchesters he normally hears of three or four demonic possessions a year, and so far he knows of twenty-seven already. More and more demons are walking the earth - something big and bad is coming, and the Winchesters are smack right in the middle.

Bobby's dog, Rumsfeld, begins to bark and suddenly the door bursts open - it is Meg. Meg walks in and tells them no more crap. She tosses Dean against a wall and demands the real Colt. Sam and Bobby back up, saying they buried it. Meg is "underwhelmed". She cannot believe Johnny tries pawning off a fake gun, leaving the real one with them. Did they think she would not find them? Dean gets up and says, "Actually, we were counting on it." He glances up, and she looks up as well. They have tricked Meg into a protective circle - a devil's trap - on the ceiling!

Later the boys have Meg tied up in a chair under the circle, while Bobby salted all windows and doors to keep all other demons out. Dean interrogates her, demanding her to tell them where their father is, but Meg keeps saying he is dead, taunting him that he died screaming. Dean ends up slapping her, but Meg simply says, "That's kind of a turn on. You hitting a girl." Bobby takes Dean to one side and tells him Meg is possessed - there is a real girl trapped inside he could hurt. Dean says that could be good news. Sam starts off on exorcising the demon. Meg reacts violently, threatening to kill Sam, and then to violently killing Dean. Sam reluctantly reads the ritual while Dean continues to question Meg about John; she repeatedly claims that John is dead, and Dean repeatedly denies it, claiming he will kill all demons in hell if it were true, vehemently declaring he is not dead. Eventually, Meg says he is not dead, and tells them about a building in Jefferson City, Missouri, but she does not know the address. Sam asks if the demon is there too, but she says she does not know. Dean tells Sam to finish the exorcism anyway. Sam is reluctant. He says they may be able to use her. Dean is more concerned about the innocent girl trapped inside. Bobby explains that Meg is actually a girl possessed by a demon, and that the injuries she previously sustained in Chicago (in Shadow) will kill her if the demon leaves her body. Dean insists on exorcising the demon to save the girl from the torment of possession, no matter how broken she is. Sam reluctantly finishes the ritual. Finally, the demon is banished, and human Meg is left, broken, dying painfully, but still alive.

Bobby goes to grab blankets and water, and call 911. The boys try to make her comfortable, and Dean questions her about what the demon said. She thanks them, tells them the possession has been a year, that she has been awake for some of it, and that it has been a nightmare. She tells Dean the demons want them to come for him. The demon they are looking for is not there, but other ones are. She offers the clues by the river and "Sunrise" before dying. The boys leave Bobby to lie to the paramedics to head to Jefferson City. Before they leave, Bobby hands the Key of Solomon book to Sam, telling them both to be careful and bring their dad around. He will not even try to shoot him this time. The Impala drives away.

In Jefferson City, Dean is loading up guns, salt, and the EMF meter to fight demons while Sam is reading the "Key of Solomon". Dean has been quiet, and Sam reassures him that Dad will be fine. Sam begins drawing on the Impala's trunk, explaining that the symbols are called a "devil's trap". Demons cannot pass through it, so it turns the car's trunk into a lockbox to keep the Colt safe while they go save Dad. Dean wants to take it with them as it might help save their father. Sam and Dean argue about the Colt, and what they each want, but in the end Sam wins the fight. Dean reluctantly puts the gun in the trunk, but he has a strange look on his face, watching Sam walk away.

Dean and Sam are scoping out buildings along the water when Dean spots one called "Sunrise Apartments". There are lots of families with kids outside - what better way to stop the boys than a building full of human shields? The boys do not know what the demons look like, but the demons know them. Dean's plan of attack? Pulling the fire alarm.

Sam walks into the apartments, checks for coast clear, and once clear, pulls the fire alarm. In one of the apartments a couple reacts strangely to the alarm. The man checks the bedroom, where John is tied to a bed, not moving. The people are evacuating, and within seven minutes there are fire crews everywhere outside.They are able to get the firemen outfits by Dean distracting the real firemen by claiming he wants to go back in his apartment to get his Yorkie, while Sam goes around the back of the firetruck and picks the lock.

Two firemen completely decked out are walking down the hall, one of them with an EMF meter. Dean mentions he always wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. The boys are in stolen uniforms masquerading as firemen! Dean gets a reading and the boys knock on the room door that they figure out has demons inside. The couple are wary, and Sam and Dean burst in when the door is open. They have holy water in their extinguishers, and fight the couple into a closet, placing salt in front of the door so they cannot get out. The boys strip out of their gear, grab the duffel, and walk into the bedroom. Dean checks Dad - he is breathing. Sam checks to see if he's possessed by sprinkling holy water on him, but nothing happens. Dean gets to work slicing through the ropes. John awakens and is barely coherent. He has been drugged, and asks about the Colt. Sam assures him it is safe, and John replies, "Good boys."

Outside, a man in a mechanic's uniform in the crowd feels strange, and his eyes turn black from possession. He heads for the building, and when he is stopped by the fireman, the fireman ends up being possessed too. Together they go into the building, after the Winchesters.

Just as Sam and Dean are dragging their dad out out of the bedroom, the two possessed men burst in the front door. The boys back up and lock themselves in the bedroom. The fireman starts chopping on the door. Sam salt lines the door then the window as the chopping continues. The fireman watches Sam joins Dean and John on the fire escape and leave. They climb down the fire exit, Dean helping Dad at the bottom for the drop. Once all three are out of the building, they are set upon by Tom, pinning Sam to the ground and beating him severely. Dean races over to kick Tom, who tosses him into the nearest car windshield. He continues to hit Sam until BANG, he is shot through the skull and dies. Dean holds the Colt, which apparently had not been in the trunk after all. Dean grabs Sam up, helps him over to Dad, releasing Sam to grab Dad up, grabs the duffel, and they make good their escape.

In an abandoned cabin in the woods, Sam is salting all the windows and doors and asks about their dad, when Dean comes out from the bedroom where John is lying down. Dean says Dad just needs a rest, and asks about Sam. Sam will survive, then worries if they were followed. Sam then thanks Dean for saving him. Dean confesses that he is scared of the lengths he will go to in order to protect his family, not even hesitating to kill. John enters, claiming that Dean did good. Dean is surprised his father is not mad that he wasted a bullet that was meant to kill the Demon. John claims he is proud of what Dean does for the family. The lights begins to flicker and John, followed by the boys, goes to the window. The Demon has found them. He sends Sam to check the salt lines again, and then asks Dean for the Colt. Dean grows suspicious of the kind words - wasting a bullet, Dad would tear him a new one and not be proud - and points the Colt at John. Sam re-enters, and wonders what is happening. Dean claims Dad is acting strangely and is possibly possessed. Despite John's pleas, Sam allies himself with Dean. John says if they are so sure, they should kill him.

When Dean does not pull the trigger, the Demon shows itself. He tosses Sam and Dean across the room, pins them to opposite walls, and picks up the dropped Colt. Sam confirms the identity of the Demon, and asks why holy water did not work. It does not work on this Demon. Sam threatens to kill it, and the Demon lays the Colt on the table and dares Sam to float it. Sam fights, but nothing happens. The Demon relishes his power, and claims their dad, trapped in his own meatsuit, will taste the iron in Dean's blood. It claims this is justice, since Dean exorcised his daughter Meg and killed his boy in the alley. Sam wants to know why the Demon killed Mom and Jess. The Demon mentions to Dean that Sam was about to propose to Jessica. The Demon reveals he killed their mom and Jessica because they got in the way of the plans he had for Sam, and kids like Sam. Dean draws the Demon's attention away from Sam, by insulting his monologuing. The Demon verbally attacks Dean, saying Dean has got some nasty pain, that the family does not need him like he needs them. Sam was always John's favorite; John shows Sam more concern than he has ever shown Dean. Dean says, "I bet you're real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em." The Demon uses a psychic power to torture Dean, causing him to bleed internally as blood pours from his mouth and chest. Dean pleads for his father to help him, finally passing out. At the last minute, John manages to surface long enough for Sam to free himself and grab the Colt. The Demon is back, and if Sam shoots, he will kill his father. Sam knows this and shoot Dad with the penultimate bullet in the leg. John falls to the floor, as does Dean. Sam rushes to his brother's side - he has lost a lot of blood. Dean insists Sam to check on Dad. The bullet restores control to John who begs Sam shoot him in order to kill the Demon still inside him. Sam hesitates as Dean pleads for Sam not to shoot. Sam lowers the gun, and the Demon escapes John's body, to John's frustrated disappointment.

Sam drives the Impala with John in the passenger seat and Dean, gravely hurt, in the backseat. Sam promises to get them to the hospital in ten minutes. John is angry at Sam for not shooting him to kill the demon, for that came before everything. Sammy, looking at Dean in the mirror, says, "No sir. Not before everything." He says they still have the Colt, and one bullet, and just to start over hunting the Demon -

BAM! An 18-wheeler slams into the side of the Impala, smashing it and pushing it forward into a crumpled heap, rendering all three Winchesters unconscious and blood spattered. The truck driver has the black eyes of the possessed.

Song playing is "Bad Moon Rising".